School Days

I love pictures of Elaina at school, so that's why I'm always posting so many of them. Something about her time at school is a bit of a mystery to me because she's gone from me 7 1/2 hours each day, 5 days a week. I'm curious about every minute of it (we talk a lot when she gets home because I'm full of so many questions about her day)! So I love to go visit often and get to know her friends, her teacher, her school routine, and what she's learning. I love that she's still excited about me being involved in this part of her life. I hope she's always ok with me being interested in her life...and I'll try not to be that overbearing Mom :)

Off to School

Hallway Etiquette

When the kindergartners walk in the hallway, they have to put a bubble in their mouth and "bears in cages" (which means hands clasped behind their backs). I think they look so cute walking down the hallway like this.

Even Erin knows the rules:

Lunch Time

When your grandparents are in town, you get really lucky and they bring you McDonalds "hangaburs" for lunch...

...and everyone wants to be your friend when you get McDonald's for lunch!

Recess

Right after lunch they go outside and do some active songs. Elaina gets totally into it. I need to get a video of some of her favorite songs

Elaina with her friends, Haleigh, Sonovia, and Becky

She loves the swings!

Erin and I often have lunch with Elaina and then stay for recess afterward. All the kids love it when Erin comes and they all want to play with her. Sometimes random kids will come and grab Erin's hand and take her off somewhere else to play with them. So naturally Elaina gets a little possessive, and makes sure Erin is within her sight, or holding her hand, at all times - she doesn't like other people competing for her sister's attention! She's happy to share her sister, just don't take Erin away from her!

Monkey bars!

Elaina and her friend Cathy, deep in conversation

My Dad became a popular guy when the kids started seeing him carrying the girls around the playground like this. All the kids started asking for a turn!

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A funny side note:

One day when I was at Elaina's school during recess a group of kids from a different class came up to me and asked if I had a baby in my tummy. I said yes.

Their response:
"oh."
[and then a long pause as they thought about this]
"So....do you have to get married now?"
Lucky for me, that was the first step! :)

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Elaina gives us a tour around the classroom

Where she hangs her backpack

where she does calendar time

Her favorite center: The Home Center (also a favorite is the art center)

Mrs. Nelson reading stories to the class

Showing Nana her schoolwork

her cubby

Home from school

She rides the bus home and walks down the street with friends on the block. Sometimes they stop and chat at "the big rock" on the corner. She talks about it as if it's the local hangout :) The highlight of Erin's day is when Elaina gets home and she often runs down the street to wait for her.

I love this picture of the girls saying goodbye to each other after recess. I can only imagine what important words of wisdom Elaina is passing on to her sister, or what she's instructing Erin to do in the 2 hours until she gets home from school!